


Two Things

by Heather_Night



Category: Animal Kingdom (TV)
Genre: Body Image, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, POV Deran
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-25
Updated: 2018-08-25
Packaged: 2019-07-02 13:47:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15797772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Heather_Night/pseuds/Heather_Night
Summary: The husky alto voice drifted down the stairs.Remember what we discussed.  Today is a fasting day so no lunch and no snacks.  We’ll see about eating tomorrow after we check the scale.It was weird.  Smurf did nothing but push food at her sons and here Mrs. Dolan was telling Adrian not to eat.





	Two Things

**Author's Note:**

> Here's my fill for the hurt/comfort bingo card prompt Body Image Issues. If that's a possible trigger for you please take care.
> 
> It's a short outing but it's my headcanon for why Deran pushes breakfast on Adrian almost every chance he gets.

Deran awkwardly stood in the living room shifting his weight. He’d stopped by Adrian’s to pick him up and now he could hear his friend’s mom scolding him.

He realized two things—Smurf was maybe not as bad as he sometimes thought she was and Adrian was pretty tough himself having grown up in this household.

The husky alto voice drifted down the stairs.

_Remember what we discussed. Today is a fasting day so no lunch and no snacks. We’ll see about eating tomorrow after we check the scale._

It was weird. Smurf did nothing but push food at her sons and here Mrs. Dolan was telling Adrian not to eat.

Adrian was…perfect. Deran wouldn’t admit it to anyone, but Adrian was the reason Deran suspected he was bi. His shoulders were wide, his waist was small and his ass was, well, perfect. Deran didn’t even know he had a thing for freckles. Hell, maybe he didn’t. Maybe it was just that he had an Adrian thing.

Deran frowned at his brain’s digression. The important thing here was that Adrian didn’t need to lose weight.

Adrian skipped down the stairs to join Deran in the living room, his face flushed pink. “Sorry you had to wait.”

Shrugging, Deran headed for the door. He hadn’t planned on saying anything but once they were in Craig’s Scout, his curiosity finally got the better of him. “What was your mom talking about? Is she putting you on a diet?”

Adrian’s blush turned from pink to red. He rubbed the back of his neck. “My family.” He paused, squeezing his eyes shut. “They’re just perfect. Tall and thin and smart. Sometimes it’s hard to live up to them, you know? Mom’s just trying to help me.”

Deran nodded; as usual they were on the same page. Adrian’s parents and sister all looked like models, and not in a good way. They were all scarily thin with skull faces.

His friend’s cheeks were chubby and he wasn’t supermodel thin but that shit wouldn’t help him on the surfboard or skateboard so who the hell cared? “Come on, let’s pick up Craig. He said he’d help us work on our Tail Slides.”

“Really? I have problems getting the fins free of the wave. That would be so great if I could master it.” Adrian’s blush finally receded and he smiled.

Deran laughed. “That’s because you’re a goofy-footed dork.” He didn’t understand how Adrian could balance well with his right foot forward. When Deran tried that he always ended up head first in the water. He knew Adrian’s dad was left-handed which had influenced some of Adrian’s habits—not only did he surf and skateboard goofy-footed but Adrian could switch hit.

 _Switch hitting._ Deran couldn’t keep his mind out of the gutter half, okay, most of the time he was around Adrian.

He noticed Adrian wasn’t laughing. In fact, he’d sunk down in the seat a bit. “I’ll try to surf normal today.”

This was new territory. Of the two friends, Deran was the moodier. Adrian had his moments but he was usually even-tempered and he loved to laugh. He’d also never had self-esteem issues that Deran had noticed.

What was it about families that they had to fuck with a guy?

Deran hit Adrian in the arm but he pulled the punch like he wouldn’t have for Craig; he wasn’t trying to hurt the guy, he just wanted his attention. “Surf the way you’re comfortable. Goofy-footed surfers have more style anyway.”

“Really?” Adrian sat up a bit in his seat.

“You’re still a goofy-footed dork.” That time he got the laugh he wanted.

-0-

Deran forgot all about the weird conversation he’d overheard at the Dolans a month ago until they were sitting in Carmichael’s English Lit class. Adrian was one desk up in the next aisle so Deran could stare at him to his heart’s content without his friend realizing it and giving him funny looks. 

Today’s view was more concerning than stimulating. Adrian looked sick. His skin had a weird cast to it, not really pale but maybe gray, and every move he made was more lethargic than the last. He’d asked Adrian earlier in the day if he was coming down with something and Adrian said he felt fine. He hadn’t shown up for lunch though.

The final bell rung, announcing the end of the day—finally—and everyone jumped to their feet.

Everyone except Adrian.

Carmichael’s voice rose above the clatter. “Adrian, a word, please.”

Deran dragged his feet, unwilling to leave his friend behind. Carmichael ignored him which meant he could listen in without pissing off the only teacher he liked.

“Is everything okay?” Carmichael’s tone was soft. Like he was talking to a spooked animal.

“Yeah. Sure. Just need more sleep I guess.” Adrian dragged a hand through his hair. Slowly.

Carmichael crossed his arms. “Are you eating enough? You look like you’ve lost weight.”

Adrian shrugged. 

Carmichael wasn’t happy with Adrian’s answer but Deran could’ve told pushing him wouldn’t get him results. The guy tried anyway. “I hope you know if there’s a problem at home you can talk to me or the school counselor.” 

And there it was, he pushed.

His friend could be stubborn and from the set of his jaw, Deran could see he wasn’t going to share anything.

“Can I go now?” Adrian pushed to his feet and Deran took that as his sign to wait outside—Adrian might be embarrassed if he knew Deran had listened in—but before he could clear the door he heard a grunt.

“Adrian? Shit.”

Teachers didn’t swear in front of the students. 

Deran whirled around to find Carmichael holding Adrian against his chest, Adrian’s arms dangled behind him and his head flopped backward…

Anger surged through Deran. He realized two things: One, Adrian was anything but fine, and, two, Deran did not like seeing his friend in someone else’s arms. 

Only _he_ was supposed to hold his friend.

“Deran, get the nurse, please.” Carmichael’s voice was tight but he didn’t look panicked.

Deran bolted out the door, dodging bodies in the hallway. The nurse’s office was only five doors down and he didn’t bother to knock, barging into the back area. “You’re needed in Mr. Carmichael’s room.”

He’d never liked the nurse, the mere fact that she was a woman made Deran distrust her, but she rose to her feet and grabbed a bag without argument. Maybe she didn’t suck. “Do you know what’s wrong?”

“I think my friend passed out.” Deran wasn’t sure but that’s what it seemed like. Adrian had taken a board to the head earlier that year and his body had been similarly limp when Deran had pulled him out of the water.

He’d panicked a bit then and he was doing the same now. 

When they entered the room, Adrian was lying on the floor on his left side, Carmichael hovering over him, holding his wrist. “Just be still. The nurse and Deran are back.”

That meant Adrian was awake.

“Great.” Adrian sighed but he didn’t move.

“What happened?” Espinoza, the nurse, demanded. She really wasn’t so bad, he supposed. Lots of the guys actually thought she was hot, but Deran didn’t care about her big tits, he just needed her to help Adrian.

Carmichael moved out of the way. “When Adrian stood up after class he passed out. I think he’s lost weight recently. He says he feels fine.”

Deran snorted. “Nothing says you’re feeling fine like keeling over.”

Adrian’s arm rose and he flashed Deran his middle finger; if his friend could flip him off, things weren’t dire. 

Espinoza grabbed that arm, huffing beneath her breath, and checked Adrian’s pulse. Next it was a thermometer to his forehead. Last it was the dreaded blood pressure cuff; Deran swore those things were like boa constrictors the way they squeezed the arm past the point of discomfort and right into pain. She finally tucked her equipment away.

Carmichael was getting antsy. “So, what’s the verdict?”

Carmichael wasn’t the only one; what the fuck was going on with his friend? Healthy guys didn’t just faint. 

“Not enough food or drink. You’re not diabetic right?” At the shake of his head, she reached into her bag and handed Adrian a granola bar. She stood up and looked at the teacher. “Could you please get Adrian a bottle of water out of my office, Mr. Carmichael? I think with that and a snack Adrian will start to feel better.”

“Deran, walk with me please?” Carmichael was already heading out the door.

Deran wanted to protest but Adrian was already sitting up, munching on the bar. “Yeah, sure.”

As soon as they entered the nurse’s office, Carmichael looked at Deran. “Has Adrian told you why he’s losing weight?”

There was the whole friend-code and Deran knew he wasn’t supposed to tell adults shit about his friends.

But Adrian had fucking swooned—into a teacher’s arms no less—and that shit wasn’t right. 

Fuck the friend-code. “He hasn’t said anything but I heard his mom talking to him about a month ago, telling him it was a fasting day and depending on the scale the next day he might be able to eat. I didn’t think Adrian was actually listening to her though.” Adrian’s family were all dumbasses in Deran’s opinion. Excluding his best friend of course.

“God damn those people.” Carmichael blushed and then shrugged his shoulders when Deran raised an eyebrow at him. “Sorry, some parents put unrealistic expectations on their children. I have a hunch you can relate.”

Deran ignored Carmichael. There was no fucking way he was talking about Smurf to a teacher. 

The teacher grabbed a bottled water out of a fridge in the back room and they returned to Carmichael’s classroom. Adrian was nibbling at the granola but when Carmichael cracked the lid open on the water and handed it to him, he gulped down half the bottle in one go. “Thanks, I guess I was thirsty.”

“Don’t forget hungry.” Espinoza added.

Carmichael gave the nurse a tight smile. “Could I see you for a moment, please?”

She stood up, grabbing her bag, and looked at Deran. “We’ll be right back. Please don’t let him get up yet.”

Adrian managed to roll his eyes while drinking the rest of the water which Deran considered a feat. “I’ll do my best.”

The adults left the room and Deran crossed his arms. “Something you want to tell me?”

Setting the water down, Adrian fiddled with the granola but didn’t actually eat it. “It sounds stupid.”

“Man, half the shit that comes out of your mouth sounds stupid but you’re still my best friend.” Deran smirked, willing Adrian to laugh.

Adrian managed a small chuckle. “Thanks. I think.” He looked back down at the wrapper in his hands.

Deran pointed at the now mulched mess in the wrapper. “I could be wrong but I think you’re supposed to eat that, not play with it.”

His friend crinkled his nose; the freckles stood out on his skin but at least he was no longer gray. Deran could now easily see what Carmichael had been talking about though—Adrian’s layered tops hung on his frame and his face was almost skeletal.

“I always feel like an outsider with them, you know? My mom suggested if I slimmed down I’d at least look more like my dad and that might, you know, help things.” Adrian’s attention was firmly on his mangled snack.

Deran sat down on the floor next to his friend, bumping his shoulder with his own. “Maybe you went a little overboard?” Adrian tended to throw everything he had into whatever caught his interest. It was one reason Deran got twitchy when Adrian talked to someone new; he didn’t want to be replaced.

That got a real laugh out of Adrian. “Yeah, I guess I did.” He set down the granola and covered his face with his hands. “God, what am I going to do, Deran? They’re going to call my parents and I’m going to get the _you’re a disappointment to the family name, son_ speech.” He pulled his hands away from his face to stab his fingers angrily in the air with quotation marks when referring to the speech.

“I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but your dad is kind of a dick.” Deran put his arm around Adrian’s back and squeezed his far shoulder. He wished he could lay down with him on a soft surface and just hold him but this was as good as it was going to get.

Thoughts like that were dangerous territory. If his brothers knew he wanted to hold a guy, maybe touch him, they’d either beat his ass or never let him hear the end of it.

He forgot about his brothers when Adrian gave a watery laugh. “Yeah, I’m aware.”

The adults entered the room and Deran stared at them defiantly, daring them to say anything about the arm wrapped protectively around his friend.

Espinoza’s face relaxed and her eyes softened. He prayed the next words out of her mouth weren’t going to be about the two friends being so cute; he heard that shit enough from some of the girls in their class. It was possible to care about male friends without it being cute.

The nurse shifted her focus to Adrian. “We have to notify your parents, Adrian.”

His friend gave a gusty sigh. “I know.”

“Is that going to be a problem?” Carmichael narrowed his eyes, watching intently. The guy was sharp; he knew Adrian’s family was fucked up.

Adrian snorted. “Just going to get lectured to death.” 

Carmichael’s shoulders relaxed. “Okay. But if you ever have a problem at home, I’m serious. Talk to a teacher or the school counselor. And Adrian?”

His friend was leaning heavily against Deran’s side. “Yeah?”

“You’ve got a really good friend in Deran here. I bet he’d listen to you. I’m also pretty sure he’s going to make sure you eat regularly.” Carmichael flashed Deran a smile.

Instead of feeling insulted, it felt pretty good. The one teacher he admired thought he was a good friend and that he’d take care of Adrian. He was planning on it anyway but it was still nice to get some small acknowledgment.

Adrian turned to Deran. “You are, you know.”

Deran must’ve zoned out because he wasn’t following. “What?”

“A really good friend. I know I can count on you. Thanks for that.” Adrian flashed him that shy smile before looking down. 

Deran was pretty sure he melted into a puddle.

Except his arm was still around his friend. And it felt right. 

He was so going to take care of Adrian.

-0-

Ten years later…

“Let’s just hit the beach. We can eat later.” Adrian pulled on his swim trunks and then headed to the bathroom to brush his teeth.

Deran frowned; he had already been planning the breakfast menu. Scrambled eggs on English muffins. “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.”

He heard Adrian spit in the sink and then he came to the door, toothbrush clutched in his hand, foaming at the mouth with toothpaste. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Can you ask it after you brush your teeth? You look like you have rabies or some shit.” Deran raised an eyebrow at his boyfriend.

He hadn’t said the word out loud but in his mind that’s how he thought of Adrian: Boyfriend. 

Adrian huffed but turned around and finished brushing his teeth. He emerged, foam free, unsmiling. 

Deran gave him the _come on_ sign with his hands. “Let’s hear it. What did I do wrong?”

The serious expression melted into fondness, Adrian’s lips quirking up into a slight smile. “Do you keep pushing food at me because that’s how you show you care, like Smurf does to you and your brothers, or do you do it because you think I’ve got some eating disorder?”

Wow. 

Deran hadn’t seen that coming.

Hadn’t given it any thought.

But didn’t he always keep track of how much Adrian was eating, offering him more, worried that he was going to pass out?

Because, shit, the only time he wanted Adrian passed out was after they had wild sex and he’d exhausted his boyfriend. There was something about cuddling Adrian after he’d wrecked him with intense sex.

And Smurf always fixing food for them…is that how she showed she cared? It totally was. How had Adrian noticed while Deran remained oblivious? When it came to Deran fixing Adrian food the answer was probably also yes—it was one way he showed he cared.

“You didn’t even know you were doing it, did you?” Adrian cocked his head to the side, arms folded over his chest, staring.

“No, I didn’t. And I never gave it any thought as to why I do it either.” He took a deep breath and shrugged his shoulders, trying to loosen them. “Does it bother you?”

“No, I guess not. Either way you’re doing it because you care. If I thought you were trying to control me, yeah, it would bother me. I can deal with it, I just wanted to know.” Adrian continued to stare, blinking his dark blue eyes at Deran.

Stalking forward, Deran pulled Adrian into a tight hug. “Yeah, I care. Probably more than you know.”

Shit, he was slipping into mushy territory.

Adrian kissed him on the cheek. “Surf first. Breakfast second.”

Deran silently added a third: _Fuck Adrian until he passed out in his arms._

Deran realized two things: He was going to keep on pushing food at Adrian and this boyfriend shit was pretty awesome.

Finis

**Author's Note:**

> I've officially filled three of the thirteen prompts on my hurt/comfort bingo card. I'm apparently working on five stories, concurrently, if the number of open documents on my mac is to be believed...I think that proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that Deran and Adrian have officially taken over my life.
> 
> Thank you for reading!


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